How to use Meat Staining dyes

E131 Patent Blue V & E151 Brilliant Black BN
These dyes are specified by the Foods Standards Agency within the Industry Guide to Edible Co-Products and Animal By-Products. E131 Patent Blue V is for staining Category 1 meats and is used at 0.5% strength.
E151 Brilliant Black BN is for staining category 2 meats and is used at between 1% and 2.5% strength.

How to make 1 litre of 0.5% Solution of E131 Patent Blue V

  1. Weigh out 5g of dye.
  2. Make a paste with the dye using cold water.
  3. Add hot water to this paste whilst stirring.
  4. Continue to stir until the dye is fully dissolved.
  5. Allow to cool.
  6. Add to cold water to make 1 litre.

The dye is now ready to use. The stability of the solution is good provided it is kept in a cool place and not exposed to direct sunlight.

How to find out the right strength of E151 Brilliant Black BN to use

The strength required will depend on the meat. You will need to test to find out which is the best strength for your requirements. The following method produces 4 different strength solutions to test.

  1. Weigh out 10g of E151 Brilliant Black BN
  2. Dissolve as per points 2-5 above
  3. Add to cold water to make 400ml. This will give you strength of 2.5%
  4. Take 100ml of the 2.5% solution and add 25ml of water. This will give strength of 2.0%
  5. Take 100ml of the 2.5% solution and add 65ml of water. This will give strength of 1.5%
  6. Take 100ml of the 2.5% solution and add 150ml of water. This will give strength of 1.0%

You now have 4 different solutions, test to find out which gives the best results. Once known you will need to make a larger solution.

Making the correct strength of E151 Brilliant Black BN

For making larger solutions you will need to weigh out the following:

  1. For 2.5% you will need 25g of dye per litre of water
  2. For 2.0% you will need 20g of dye per litre of water
  3. For 1.5% you will need 15g of dye per litre of water
  4. For 1.0% you will need 10g of dye per litre of water